[Video] Eritrea, Mining Opportunities for International Companies

The potential of the mining industry of Eritrea are very significant : today only plant Bisha, a site in the hinterland of the African country that overlooks the Red Sea, represents 3.5 percent of the gross domestic product of the country . Soon it will come into activity also the facility of Zahra, further improving production. These capabilities offer potential for international investors, including Italy, because the phase of exploration is not yet complete.

Minister of Economic Affairs of Eritrea Hagos Ghebrehiwet was intended to highlight what the Asmara government, after the granting of the 60 percent of the mine at Bisha “Nevsun” publicly traded Canadian company, is open to new partnerships with international investors to further develop a highly strategic sector for the country.

To describe well the potential of the mining Eritrean we talked to Louis Mazel, the chief of the US mission in Asmara, at the end of a visit to the mine of Bisha occurred together with a delegation of diplomats from the European Union, United Nations, Canada, Germany, South Africa and United Kingdom.

“It ‘been a revelatory visit – said the US diplomat – Bisha is a modern and well-run facility that employs 1,400 people of which 90 percent is Eritrean. 20 percent of employees are women. One of these began as a waitress and now drives a truck weigh the American brand Caterpillar. The mine – said Mazel – also pays its employees with the highest salaries in the country and provides safety standards internationally, comparable to those Americans or Canadians. ”

In the Bisha mine has begun with the extraction of gold (the fourth largest in Africa) then, digging, has gone ahead with silver, copper and zinc. Every day dozens of trucks depart from the mine, which is located in the semi-desert area in the country, and go to the port of Massawa to board their cargo to international destinations.

“For those who have invested in us – he told Adnkronos the Director General of Bisha Mining, And Mountey – I think they can all be very satisfied. I have been here for three years the work has progressed according to schedule. The company is profitable. We can say that we have gained with investors, the country and the population. ”

Eritrea, given the non-respect of the Algiers Agreements and the UN resolution by Ethiopia, lives in a constant state of alert. Security is an issue for the mining industry? Responds still the general manager of Bisha Mining ” Eritrea is a very safe country, in Bisha then we never had any problems – responds Mountey – products and our staff, as well as foreign, always travel with confidence. Homeland Security then, the hospital ambulance equipped for on-site interventions, we have everything we need for adequate protection of the health of our employees. ”